DENVER – Audrey Burt is putting it all together.
 
The MSU Denver pitcher/slugger supported her complete-game pitching effort with two homers in the first game and added another hit for good measure in the second game as the Roadrunners swept a doubleheader Saturday against Chadron State, 8-4 and 12-0.
 
The second game was stopped after the fifth inning due to the eight-run rule.
 
MSU Denver coach Annie Van Wetzinga has tried to ease the true freshman into a dual role this season but, with two complete-game performances and three homers in her last four games, she's begun turning her loose for full-time activity
 
"She's been on the same page with us – that, as a freshman, pitching and hitting can be a lot because pitching is a big responsibility and there's a lot going on," Van Wetzinga said. "So we've been careful about how much we're putting on her plate. But we know she can hit.
 
"I asked her where she was at. Because I'm ready. I said, 'I'm confident to put you in to do both, are you confident?' She said, 'Yeah.' So I said, 'Let's do it then.'"
 
Burt has raised her batting average to .389 by going 11-for-23 (.478) since late February. Including her tiebreaking, seventh-inning, pinch-hit homer last week at Black Hills State, she now has five homers in 36 at-bats – a beyond-Ruthian ratio of one per 7.2.
 
In the circle she is 8-5 with three saves and a 3.12 ERA, with wins in her last three starts. Over her last four starts, she has a 1.17 ERA.
 
"I really think it's just that, as a team, we've had a lot of meetings and we've talked about mental approaches," Burt said. "I'm putting them to use now, and it's obviously showing. I think a lot of us are doing that."
 
Burt said that she felt confident in the dual role Saturday.
 
"I was focused on the one that was happening, and I was happy with how I was able to switch between the two," she said.
 
A left-handed hitter and right-handed thrower, Burt lifted a fly ball over the center field wall for a 2-0 second-inning lead. In the fifth, she launched a rocket to right to make it 4-2.
 
"The one to center, honestly, didn't feel great," Burt said. "I didn't think it was out, but then they told me it was, so I said, 'All right.'
 
"But the one to right felt amazing."
 
In the circle, only three of the runs the reigning Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week allowed were earned, and she scattered 10 hits.
 
"I'm happy for her," Van Wetzinga said. "That's got to feel good to have that kind of day offensively. She wasn't as sharp as she probably would've liked pitching, but she still did enough to get us the win."
 
In the second game, Sarah Norton (7-3) was more than sharp enough while tossing a three-hit shutout, walking one and striking out seven.
 
"Today was one of Sarah's most efficient days," Van Wetzinga said. "I really liked how she was attacking the strike zone. There were times that we would've liked more strikes called on some quality pitches, but she didn't let that rattle her. She stayed steady and stuck with her process. It was really good to see."
 
The Roadrunners scored three in each of the first two innings, one in the third and then four in the fourth. They also took advantage of eight walks.
 
"It was nice to not have to sweat it out," Van Wetzinga said. "Our challenge to them after the first game was to have better situational team at-bats. If they're going to give you a walk, take a walk. Don't help the pitcher out.
 
"We always want to be attacking, and if it's a good pitch, attack. But we also want to understand our (strike) zone. And we did a much better job of that the second game."
 
MSU Denver improved to 24-13 overall and 12-8 in the RMAC, while Chadron State dropped to 6-28 and 5-17.
 
The Roadrunners have won three straight league series 3-1, though those have all been against teams in the bottom half of the league standings. They are hoping to put together their first league series sweep of the season against another second-division team in Sunday's 11 a.m. doubleheader.
 
"We're treating every game like it's our first game," Burt said. "We're a lot more successful that way. It's exhausting playing four games in a row against the exact same team. As a pitcher, you're facing the same batters over and over again and that can get a little difficult. So we're just viewing every game as the first game and trying to jump on them early."
 
Said Van Wetzinga: "Let's take a step this weekend. That was the message after the game. Let's put a complete weekend together."